The NHBC Foundation has called for a new campaign aimed at encouraging more girls into the house building sector…
New research has revealed that just one in 10 women are interested in following a building or construction-based career. Now, the NHBC Foundation is calling for an industry-wide campaign to boost numbers.
The research, which was carried out by the foundation, showed that while a third of boys and young men—around 37 per cent—are interested in construction, only one in 10 girls and young women (11 per cent) show the same interest. This was the lowest level of interest seen amongst jobs in all other sectors included in the study.
The foundation, which has pledged its support for Employment Minister Esther McVey’s #notjustforboys campaign, is now planning to bring together representatives of the industry to discuss steps to increase the recruitment of more women.
Furthermore, the research found there were some misconceptions about what jobs were available in the construction sector. It showed that many young people had a poor outlook of the sector, which was a significant barrier to recruitment.
However, when young people were given information pertaining to the wider benefits of house building interest in the sector grew.
The report, ‘A career of choice: attracting talented young people into house building’, included recommendations such as prioritising the promotion of the careers available in house building, showing it can provide excellent career opportunities, and encouraging the industry to develop a positive narrative.
Chief Executive of NHBC Mike Quinton said “House building provides exciting, varied and rewarding careers.
“We want to see more young people – including girls – actively considering a career in our industry to ensure we have a strong and balanced workforce to build the homes our country so desperately needs.
“Our research shows that just one in ten girls would consider a career in building and construction.
“However our research shows that, if as an industry, we do more to promote and champion the benefits, and challenge the misconceptions, then there are many roles in house building that are appealing to both young men and women.
“People often connect house building with hard physical work performed in all weathers. In reality, there’s a wide range of careers in house building that offer great career prospects, but many people are simply not aware of the interesting roles that exist.”
